Violent clashes broke out late Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee, after local authorities shot and killed a black criminal who’d resisted arrest by attempting to flee from the scene and ram “his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exiting with a weapon.”
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the incident began when officials with the U.S. Marshals-Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force “encountered” a man wanted on multiple warrants, suspect Brandon Webber, 20, outside of a home.
“While attempting to stop the individual, [Webber] reportedly rammed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exiting with a weapon. The officers fired striking and killing the individual. No officers were injured,” TBI announced in a statement early Thursday morning.
According to some reports, Webber may have been armed with a rifle.
TBI on fatal shooting of young man in Frayser by US Marshals & Gulf Coast Fugitive Squad:
*Agents encountered him outside home 2700 block Durham
*Wanted on several warrants
*Reportedly rammed his car into officers cars
*Exited w/weapon
*Officers firedhttps://t.co/PtgT4g1wno pic.twitter.com/cs0ptr1LkS— Joyce Peterson (@MemphoNewsLady) June 13, 2019
Source says Marshal’s service was serving a violent charges on a suspect. The suspect pulled a rifle on Marshal and at least one marshal fired back @JBroachWMC
— Janice Broach (@JBroachWMC) June 13, 2019
In response to the shooting, which is now under investigation by TBI, locals reportedly began rioting and throwing rocks and bricks at local officers. To be clear, Memphis Police Department officers were not involved in Webber’s shooting.
“At least 24 Memphis Police Department officers were injured during a large protest Wednesday night, Mayor Jim Strickland says. The violence erupted after officers of the U.S. Marshals Service shot and killed Brandon Webber, 20,” NPR reported Thursday morning.
When local officers initially arrived on the scene, they reportedly did so without riot gear.
Important to note: #Memphis Police were NOT involved in the shooting. TBI says US Marshals are responsible. Marshal Service asked MPD to help with crowd & traffic control. MPD showed up initially WITHOUT riot gear, attempting to avoid looking threatening or intimidating. #wmc5 pic.twitter.com/Su8BHQntpj
— Joyce Peterson (@MemphoNewsLady) June 13, 2019
Because of aggressive behavior by the crowd, which reportedly also swung chairs at the officers’ cruisers and broke their windows, officers were eventually forced to don riot gear and also use tear gas.
“By 11 p.m. Wednesday, rain and tear gas had largely dispersed the crowd as officers on horseback patrolled. But in the preceding hours, the agitated onlookers and police clashed in a volatile situation that drew national attention,” The Daily Memphian reported.
Of the 24 local officers injured by the rioting, at least six required hospital treatment. Two journalists were also injured, while “multiple” police cruisers were vandalized.
Some of the crowd’s aggressive behavior may be seen below:
What’s known about the deceased criminal, Brandon Webber, is that he’d posted a disturbing Facebook Live video essentially taunting the police hours before his death
“Webber says in the video that officers would have to catch him as he alluded to a high-speed car chase. … The Facebook Live video appeared to show Webber discussing drugs. He appeared to be driving while smoking a blunt,” Heavy.com reported.
While many aspects of Wednesday’s shooting remain unclear, some local Democrat officials have already chosen to reach a conclusion and label what happened another example of the alleged epidemic of police brutality that the black community faces.
Take Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, a Memphis mayoral candidate who went so far as to say that the rioting — a word she dislikes — was justified because an innocent man lost his life:
I’m home from Frayser. I went because this is my district. I went because I stand with my people. People are hurting. And as Stephanie Love @lovesblessing said tonight we don’t need a march, we need answers. Don’t allow a one-sided narrative of what happened to prevail.
— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019
Don’t judge Frayser without asking a community how it feels to mourn their youth over and over again. What do people do with their pain and trauma when it gets to be too much, when a city has ignored them, when their loss is too great and they can no longer yell at the sky?
— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019
Don’t judge Frayser without asking a community how it feels to mourn their youth over and over again. What do people do with their pain and trauma when it gets to be too much, when a city has ignored them, when their loss is too great and they can no longer yell at the sky?
— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019
Every life lost should matter…every single one. How many times will this be ok? It cannot continue to be.
— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019
The rain is the only reason the tear gas tonight didn’t permeate the entire neighborhood. I still can’t believe that move was made.
— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019
Notice her use of the word “murdered” in the tweet below:
So you can’t start your story at, they used tear gas bc someone threw a rock. You have to start @ 300 people filled a street bc one of their own was murdered & shot more than a dozen times by US Marshals. Then a few people threw a rock. Then there was tear gas. Different story.
— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019
Now pay attention to how she incorrectly described the word “riot”:
Also, let’s not use the racially coded word riot @naacp. It’s become broken windows policing verbiage that is used to justify extreme force during civilian unrest which is often tied to emotional situations such as tonight.
— Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019
Riot is not a “racially coded word.” It’s a noun describing “a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.” Speaking of which, below is more footage from the riot:
Keli McAlister, TBI’s public information officer for the Memphis area, has confirmed that an investigation has been launched and that the agency’s “findings will be shared with the District Attorney General throughout the process for her review.”
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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